The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Dahlia plant, botanically known as Dahlia hybrida and hereinafter referred to by the name xe2x80x98Melody Latinxe2x80x99.
The new Dahlia is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Lisse, The Netherlands. The objective of the breeding program is to create new compact Dahlia cultivars with freely branching growth habit, decorative inflorescence form, attractive ray floret colors, and good inflorescence longevity.
The new Dahlia originated from a cross pollination made by the Inventor in 1996 of the Dahlia hybrida Gallery Art Deco, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,525, as the female or seed parent with the Dahlia hybrida cultivar Mxc3xcnchen, not patented, as the male or pollen parent. The new Dahlia was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross grown in a controlled environment in Lisse, The Netherlands, in the summer of 1997. The selection of this plant was based on its compact plant habit and attractive ray floret coloration.
Asexual reproduction of the new Dahlia by cuttings was first conducted in Lisse, The Netherlands in the spring of 1998. Asexual reproduction by cuttings has shown that the unique features of this new Dahlia are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
The cultivar Melody Latin has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength, light intensity, water and nutritional status without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Melody Latinxe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Melody Latinxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct Dahlia:
1. Upright, somewhat outwardly spreading and rounded plant habit.
2. Freely branching habit, full and dense plants.
3. Freely flowering habit.
4. Decorative inflorescence form with inflorescences positioned just above the foliage.
5. Yellow-colored ray florets that do not fade with subsequent development.
6. Excellent garden performance.
7. Excellent inflorescence longevity.
Plants of the new Dahlia are taller than plants of the female parent, the cultivar Gallery Art Deco. In addition, plants of the new Dahlia have yellow-colored ray florets whereas plants of the cultivar Gallery Art Deco have bronze-colored ray florets.
Plants of the new Dahlia are taller, have smaller inflorescences and more ray florets per inflorescence than plants of the male parent, the cultivar Mxc3xcnchen. In addition, cuttings of plants of the new Dahlia root easily whereas cuttings of plants of the cultivar Mxc3xcnchen do not root easily.
Plants of the new Dahlia can be compared to plants of the cultivar Gallery Cezanne, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,511. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Lisse, The Netherlands, plants of the new Dahlia are taller, have longer internodes and larger inflorescences than plants of the cultivar Gallery Cezanne. In addition, inflorescences of plants of the new Dahlia maintain their yellow coloration with age whereas inflorescences of plants of the cultivar Gallery Cezanne turn brownish with age.